Speak the Gospel

What a great weekend!

Session 1: Acts 16:11-40: Lydia’s Conversion. Paul and Silas in Prison. The Jailer asking Paul and Silas, “What must I do to be saved?

Session 2: Acts 17:1-15: Persuasion of the Gospel through the scriptures to those in the synagogue. Including Greeks! Leading these men to drag Jason out of his house and say that these men have turned the world upside down! (Talking about Paul and Silas.)

“They are acting contrary to Ceasar’s decrees… saying that there is another KING.

Paul and Silas then go to Berea to be welcomed by Jews here who were more noble than those in Thessalonica.

Scriptures says that many of them, because of the Word spoken, believed . But then those same people come there as well and stir things up.

Session 3: Acts 17:16-34: We then see here that Paul becomes deeply distressed for those in Athens because of the city being full of idols! Pushing Paul to again try to reason with the Jews and those in the marketplace.

He eventually here, stands up in the middle of the Areopagus to again, preach the Gospel.

Session 4: You actually went over Gal. 1:6-10: Where Paul voices his concern for the church in Galatia over their turning from the Gospel because of those within the church twisting, turning, polluting the Gospel that they had originally heard.

There is only one Gospel!

What I love about Paul throughout all of these Scriptures, is the complete understanding that the reader comes away of Pauls concern for His fellow Jews as well as Greeks… to come and know the Gospel. To understand what Brant said this weekend, “we are all on the brink of eternity.”

And this is what we should understand about our own friends, family, people we just pass by at the store.

They are all on the brink of eternity.

Take a look at this ROPE:

Something that we must understand, is that God wants to use us for the purpose of changing somebody else eternity from an eternity of hell, eternal punishment, to glory.

In Romans 10. Paul has just been giving his explanation of his sorrow and anguish that he feels for his fellow Jews. The fact that they have rejected Jesus and His righteousness through faith.

Paul says,

Romans 9:3 CSB

3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the benefit of my brothers and sisters, my own flesh and blood.

Paul says in Rom. 10:1

Romans 10:1 CSB

1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God concerning them is for their salvation.

Read the rest of Rom. 10:1-17.

This is what we are doing this morning. We are sending.

We are sending you to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to those whom you love, those whom you care about, those whom God has placed upon your heart to share.

How do I do that?

THREE CIRCLES: (Download the Life On Mission App)

Three circles is a simple way to have a Gospel conversation. It all resolves around the Brokenness of the world.

God’s Design

We see beauty, purpose and evidence of God’s design around us.

The Bible tells us that God originally planned a world that worked perfectly - where everything and everyone fit together in harmony.

God made each of us with a purpose - to walk with Him.

The Bible says,

Genesis 1:31 CSB

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good indeed. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day.

Psalm 19:1 CSB

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands.

Sin

Life doesn’t work when we ignore God and His original design for our lives.

We selfishly insist on doing things our own way. The Bible calls this sin. We all sin and distort the original design.

The consequence of our sin is separation from God - in this life and for all eternity.

The Bible says:

Romans 3:23 CSB

23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;

Romans 6:23 (CSB)

23 For the wages of sin is death,

Brokenness

Sin leads to brokenness. We see this all around us and in our own lives as well.

When we realize life is not working, we begin to look for a way out. We tend to go in many directions trying different things to figure it out on our own.

Brokenness leads to a place of realizing a need for something greater.

The Bible says:

Romans 1:25 CSB

25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.

Gospel

At this point, we need a remedy - some good news.

Because of His love, God did not just leave us in our brokenness. Jesus, God in human flesh, came to us and lived perfectly according to God’s design.

Jesus came to rescue us - to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. He took our sin and shame to the cross, paying the penalty for our sin by His death.

Jesus was then raised from the dead - to provide the only way for us to be rescued and restored to a relationship with God.

The Bible says:

John 3:16 CSB

16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Colossians 2:14 CSB

14 He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.

Repent & Believe

Simply hearing the Good News is not enough.

We must admit our sinful brokenness and stop trusting ourselves.

We don’t have the power to escape the brokenness on our own. We need to be rescued.

We must ask God to forgive us - turning from sin to trust only Jesus. This is what it means to repent and believe.

Believing, we receive new life through Jesus and God turns our lives in a new direction.

The Bible says:

Mark 1:15 CSB

15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Ephesians 2:8–9 CSB

8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—9 not from works, so that no one can boast.

Romans 10:9 CSB

9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Recover & Pursue

When God restores our relationship to him, we begin to discover meaning and purpose in a broken world. Now we can pursue God’s design in all areas of our lives.

Even when we fall, we understand God’s pathway to be restored - the same Good News of Jesus.

God’s Spirit empowers us to pursue His design and assures us of His presence in this life and for all eternity.

The Bible Says:

Philippians 2:13 CSB

13 For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.

Ephesians 2:10 CSB

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

What should I do now?

Now that you have heard the Good News, God wants you to respond to Him.

You can talk with Him using words like these:

My life is broken - I recognize it’s because of my sin, I need you!

I believe Christ came to live, die and was raised from the dead - to rescue me from my sin.

Forgive me. I turn from my selfish ways and put my trust in you!

I know that Jesus is Lord of all, and I will follow Him.

Romans 10:9 CSB

9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:13 CSB

13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

But there also must be an urgency

Carl F.H. Henry ( theologian, journalist, seminary professor) said this,

“The Gospel means Good News, but it’s only Good News if it gets to them in time.”

Don’t be afraid , if you speak the Gospel and they do not decide to trust in Jesus right then.

You never know where you may be in the process of God calling them.

Use a pen for the analogy.

Thanks you’s:

Host and Co host.

The Criswells for allowing us to use their venue.

please help put chairs up. CL facing out. Will stand straight up.